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What You Need to Know About Your Wisdom Teeth

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Written by Gage Dental Care

Published: 04 September 2017

Wisdom teeth can be a difficult and painful rite of passage as you grow older. They are the third and final set of molars that will come in to your mouth. Sometimes they grow in perfectly aligned with your other teeth. In other cases, you will need treatment to remove them.

When they start to come in, they can cause pain and be a nuisance. These molars can cause crowding of your other teeth along with jaw and nerve pain. Sometimes the wisdom teeth are impacted. Impacted wisdom teeth try to erupt from the jaw and gum tissue, but they are unable to do so due to a lack of sufficient room. Unfortunately, this means they are trapped painfully in your jawbone.

Signs of Impacted Wisdom Teeth

You may have no signs or symptoms that the wisdom teeth are impacted. You may feel jaw pain which is a common indicator of impacted wisdom teeth. The pain tends to be concentrated in the area surrounding your gums.

You might notice changes within the mouth when impacted wisdom teeth start to cause trouble. Your gums could redden, you may notice swelling along your jaw, your gums could bleed, and you may even notice your breath is smelling bad. You may also start experiencing sudden headaches. Impacted wisdom teeth can also cause issues in the way you chew food.

A Solution to Impacted Wisdom Teeth

In many cases, your wisdom teeth will need to be extracted. Your dentist will take x-rays of your mouth to determine the best next steps. Occasionally, this issue may even be caught before it causes you any pain or symptoms at all.

The extraction of wisdom teeth is often an easier procedure for younger adults since the roots are not yet fully developed and the bone in the jaws is not as dense as those in older patients. Depending on the positions, wisdom teeth may be extracted surgically. This procedure will require sedation and a caregiver to drive you home and care for you after completion.

If you are worried your wisdom teeth are impacted or causing other issues, our dental team at Gage Dental Care can help. We are conveniently located in Bell, Ca and have years of experience in treating this common yet painful malady. We are happy to invite you in for a consultation to discuss your treatment options.